Bankrupt tycoon Sean Quinn has described himself as a ‘simple farmer’s son’ and asked Dublin’s Commercial Court for permission to defend himself against Anglo Irish Bank.

Quinn, once Ireland’s wealthiest man, made an unexpected appearance in the Court on Monday as Anglo Irish seeks to reclaim almost $4billion from the Quinn family.

The Fermanagh native appeared before Judge Peter Kelly in preliminary hearings as his wife and five children look to avoid liability on the loans made by Anglo Irish Bank to Quinn group companies.

The Judge heard Quinn describe himself as a ‘simple farmer’s son’ as he asked to personally defend the bank’s claim that he has a liability to it.

The Irish Times reports that Quinn’s disclosure in 2007 that he a 24 per cent stake in Anglo allegedly led to an unlawful strategy by the bank to ‘shovel’ hundreds of millions into propping up its share price.

Quinn sat quietly at the back of Court Number One in Dublin’s Four Courts on Monday during the complex pre-trial stage of the proceedings between Anglo and his family.

After he called the case, Justice Kelly read a letter sent to him by Quinn asking to be allowed personally defend the case. He then called Quinn to sit in the front bench alongside lawyers for Anglo.